Typically, turbine engines separate combustion gases from cooling fluids throughout various sections of the engine, for example, by using spring biased seals. Although spring biased seals effectively prevent leakage of the gases, the seals create challenges during maintenance, assembly, and disassembly procedures, as the seals often must be retracted from their operating positions to permit assembly or disassembly of surrounding turbine engine components.
Retraction of the seals enables workers to access necessary engine areas. Once assembly is complete, the seals are released from their retracted positions so that the seals perform their intended sealing function. Nevertheless, it is not unusual for workers to forget to free the biased seals. In some turbine engines, the seals are not readily noticeable during a visual inspection or even during engine tests. Operating a turbine engine with a retracted seal can cause increased engine wear and decreased efficiency. In more serious circumstances, a retracted seal can cause catastrophic engine failure.
To date, personnel have been relied upon to remove retraction devices from spring biased seals at the appropriate time, subjecting proper engine operation to human error. Accordingly, a need exists for a retraction device that enables routine maintenance and assembly that does not require intervention by personnel to move the seal from a retracted position to an operational position.